Beneath The Mask
by Saints-Fan-12
Summary: Sandy was never one to believe in superheroes until she met one. He didn't leave a good impression and if she could cut their interactions (and the amount of supervillains) down then she'd be fine. Until then, she'd wonder why the person underneath that mask was so keen on saving her. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

Hero

A/N: I got bored and thought of a superhero AU. Yes, it's Shandy and yes, I'm predictable.

Sandy groaned as the car in front of her stopped, a pole was in the middle of the road and she hoped the person in front of her was alright, but did they really need a villain attack this early? If someone didn't show up soon, then she'd be late for the third time this week.

She stuck her head out the window and sighed. Great, it was Vortex. Again. What was so hard about keeping a supervillain _in _prison? Sometimes, Sandy thought the Talfryn police releases villains on purpose, heaven forbid they actually do their job. Either way if she didn't hurry then she'd be late. Sandy got out her car, starting towards the nearby park so she could cut through it.

She paused as the air changed as a part of a building hurtled towards her. She shut her eyes, hoping this wouldn't be the last thing she saw before she died. Sandy swallowed as it suddenly stopped, she could hear someone struggling against it.

"Get out of here," the man strained, shoving the building aside.

Sandy opened her eyes, looking at Karma's back before he turned to look at her. He wore a dark body suit with red accents and a mask covered his entire face. "Go," he said, steering Sandy out of the park as Vortex neared them.

She took off as Vortex started his dumb monologue. Then again, knowing he could suck her into a black hole and spit her out ripped in two was enough for her to not say anything. Sandy sighed, entering the office building as soon as her friend Static walked out of his cubicle.

"Let me guess," he started, scrolling through his phone. "Vortex again?"

"Yeah," Sandy mumbled, pulling her lab coat on. "ever since I moved here it feels like there's a new villain every week."

Sandy had moved to the Kismet region a year ago and ever since she ran into Karma one night, he kept showing up. Granted, she couldn't put up a good fight against a supervillain but that one night she could've easily taken that stupid mugger _if _Karma hadn't shown up. She sighed, wiping the thought away and focusing on the device in front of her.

A tracker for people who went missing. Courtesy of Krystal McCloud of course to ensure nothing happened to her son or husband (ex-husband?) again. It needed some tuning, however, so Krystal sent it over. Sandy sat down, taking the screen of the tracker off. She could get this done tonight and give it back to Krystal tomorrow.

Shadow groaned, rolling his shoulders. He was lucky Vortex hadn't harmed anyone in his rampage to evade him after robbing a bank. He was even luckier he didn't have to use Chaos control or anything. Not only would he be immobilized, he'd also be late for this bodyguard position.

"You're late," Mei said, flipping through his recent client's file.

Shadow looked around the nearly empty hotel building. "I don't see my client, so maybe I'm early." He joked, small grin falling as his boss glared at him.

"Anyway," Mei started, handing the file to him. "Ms. Sofia Rossi is running a bit late, but she should be here shortly. Here's the room key. Good luck." She said, walking away from him.

Shadow looked at his client's file. She was a marmot, Italian, and needed protection from her uncle since her father passed away and his inheritance went to her. He hoped she'd arrive before nightfall.

Shadow sighed, putting a hand to his side and hoping it wasn't bruised. Vortex just _had to _toss him into the nearest building, didn't he? He looked up as a woman walked towards his, her light hair going down her shoulders as she smiled.

"I'm Sofia Rossi, you must be my bodyguard." She said, holding a hand out to him. He shook it, looking at the amount of luggage she brought and the way her eyes flickered up and down his body. Shadow could already see this being a long month.


	2. Chapter 2

Duty

A/N: I'd like to add, I'm only posting this on here so it's easier to read and I won't have to copy and paste things and ruin the formatting. Questions are entirely welcome and thank you for reading in advance. Make sure to leave a review at the end of this chapter.

Shadow was lucky there were two beds. Hopefully, his client would realize he had a job to do and wasn't in the same room as her for other than that reason. He checked his phone, swearing quietly as a news alert popped up.

He looked over as his client unpacked her things. He could let another hero handle it, but he wasn't sure who was and wasn't in the area and he was close by. "I have some business to take care of so—."

"I'm your business," Sofia interrupted, walking towards him. "Besides we will be around each other for a month."

Right, it wasn't the longest he had to be around a client. She wasn't the worst client he's had so far, it just felt like a powerplant being broken into was more important. "It'll just take a second," Shadow said, starting out of the hotel room. "Don't open the door for anyone."

He quickly headed outside, his outfit sliding over him with ease as he teleported to the science lab. He stopped, crouching beside the window as he heard someone walking around inside. What the hell was a supervillain doing at a lab anyway?

"Now that I have you," Duchess cooed to someone. "I can get Karma all to myself so I can finish him off once and for all."

Shadow groaned quietly. Duchess was the one villain he didn't want to run into. What she lacked in powerful punches she made up for with diamonds and the like as weapons. Shadow peeked into the window, recognizing the squirrel he saved this morning.

"Why do ya think he'd come save me?" Sandy said, looking at the hare clad in a black dress with white fur around her shoulders.

"Oh, he always does," Duchess replied, smiling as she tugged the rope around Sandy tighter. "If I'm not mistaken, seems like everyone's favorite hero has a crush on you."

Sandy huffed, glaring at Duchess. "We ain't ever had a conversation. 'Parently I'm always at the wrong place at the wrong time."

_She's right about that. _Shadow thought as he slipped inside, keeping to the unlit walls and spaces. He checked to see Duchess still talking to the squirrel. He ran towards them, making eye contact with Sandy as Duchess turned and grinned.

Large diamonds shot up from the ground, ripping into Shadow's arms as he cried out. The largest one dangerously close to his neck.

"I had no idea it was going to be this easy," Duchess said, smiling as she walked towards him. "But I won't let you die just yet." She turned back towards Sandy, heels clacking against the floor as she walked towards her; a marble knife gleaming in her hand.

"Don't hurt her," Shadow gasped, gritting his teeth as he tried to lift his arms off the diamonds.

Duchess held the knife to Sandy's cheek, dragging the blade slowly down her face. "Don't worry, Karma. I'll take my time with her." She said, plunging the knife downward to Sandy's thigh. She grit her teeth as Sandy kicked away, using the momentum to kick the knife away before she fell to the floor.

Shadow panted, groaning as he lifted himself further up. If he could grab Duchess and transfer his pain to her then it'd be over. That's how his powers worked, no matter what damage he took, he could return it tenfold as long as he was in contact with someone.

Sandy breathed, straining as she broke through her ropes. She stood, dodging the darts Duchess threw at her. She moved as Duchess ran towards her, blocking each blow the hare tried to land on her. She grunted as Duchess kicked her.

"Stay out of this," Duchess yelled, standing over Sandy. "I should've killed you from the start."

Sandy swallowed, feeling the ground shake. She gasped, breathing quickly as the diamonds lifted her into the air, tearing into her shirt and pinning her close to the ceiling. She watched as Duchess grinned, walking over to Karma.

The diamond pressed into his suit, threatening to go through his neck if he didn't act soon.

"Karma," Duchess called, leaning towards him. "does it hurt?"

He grit his teeth, hoping she would lean a bit more forward. He screamed, blood hitting the floor as he freed his arms and wrapped them around Duchess. "Not as much as this will," he replied, squeezing the woman against him as she clawed at his arms.

She screamed as a red light enveloped them, as it felt like her arms would come off her body. She felt her own nails against her skin as she tried to claw her way out of Karma's grip again, burning worse.

Shadow let Duchess go as she passed out, slowly moving her off him as he tried to stand. The woman was still in trouble. He looked over as the diamonds went back into the ground, energy momentarily renewed as he ran towards the now falling squirrel.

He cried out as he caught her, falling to the floor with her. "Are you alright?" he said, looking down at her.

Sandy shoved away from him. "Worry about yourself first, yer bleedin'." She said, covering her torn shirt with her lab coat. Something told her not to stay after, but she had just finished repairing the tracker. She sighed, looking back at the hero as he shakily stood. If she didn't do something soon, he might pass out.

Sandy picked up the chair she was in, rolling it over to him and making him sit down. She rolled him over to her work station, opening the right drawer and taking out a vial.

"What's that?" Karma asked, groaning as Sandy grabbed his arms. He squeezed his shut as she poured the liquid onto his arms.

"It's a healing serum," Sandy answered, taking out gauze. "I have more since I supply them to the town, works for anything." She continued, wrapping his arms.

Karma swallowed, feeling what leftover pain he had slowly fade into a dull thrum. He needed to get back to the hotel. "Thank you," he said suddenly. "I'm sorry you keep getting caught up in my mess."

Sandy shook her head, leaning away from him. "I should've headed home earlier, it's my own fault you got hurt." She said, rubbing her temples. She looked over at Duchess, her body still as Sandy went closer to check her pulse. She sighed, feeling the hare's pulse against her finger. She was just knocked out.

"I'm sorry, but if you could drop her off at the station, I'd be in your debt," Karma said.

If Sandy did that, then she'd be out the next day. But having a superhero in her debt didn't sound so bad, and if she mentioned it then Duchess might get more time. She finally nodded, tying up the supervillain in case she woke up.

Sandy turned to where Karma was, prepared to thank him for saving her. . .again. She stopped as she looked at the empty room, the hero gone and the only sign of anything happening was the blood spots on the floor and her used work station. Sandy huffed, quickly cleaning up before leaving Duchess at the station. At this point, she just wanted to head home.

Shadow gulped in air as he leaned against the door of his client's hotel room. She was asleep when he returned, undisturbed as he went over to the empty bed and laid down. Hopefully, he'd spend more time doing his actual job this month instead of fighting villains and saving that woman. He didn't even get her name.


	3. Chapter 3

Painful

A/N: I have no idea how long this'll be, it might depend on word count for once, might not. We'll see, make sure to leave a review. Thanks for reading.

Shadow stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. Sofia stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "For a bodyguard, you sure are reckless. What happened to your arms?" she asked, turning away from him. "Whatever, just get changed so I can get new clothes."

"Aren't your regular clothes enough?" Shadow asked, checking to make sure his hero outfit wasn't on him. He hoped his arms healed while he slept as he stood up to head into the bathroom. He grimaced as the bandages were stained brown with dry blood. They most likely needed to be changed anyway. He unwrapped his arms frowning as he looked in the mirror.

His skin was raw and pink, if he looked hard enough he could see his skin growing back over his bones. Shadow swallowed as Sofia knocked on the door. "Just a sec," he called, finding gauze in a first aid kit, painstakingly rewrapping his arms and quickly washing off before changing.

He just hoped he wasn't expected to carry anything.

Sandy turned over in bed, looking over as Parappa walked in and stood next to the bed. She waited for her son to speak, his eyes darting around the room before landing on her.

"What's up kiddo?" she asked, stretching as Parappa fiddled with the strings on his hoodie.

"Um, school's about to start back up and this year we need uniforms." He said.

Sandy sat up, starting to get out of bed. "Alright, we'll go shoppin' after I shower n stuff." She said, watching him nod and leave. A small, sad smile slipped on her face as she remembered the first few months after she adopted Parappa. Poor thing thought she wouldn't let him stay and that was six months ago.

Sandy quickly showered and brushed her teeth, throwing on an old band t-shirt and washed-out jeans. She grabbed her keys and wallet on the way out of the room, slipping on sandals as she went. "You ready?" she asked, looking at her son.

Parappa nodded, patting his pockets for his house key before nodding again. They got into the car, the radio playing quietly as they drove before Parappa looked over at his mom.

"I heard about Duchess showing up at the lab," he said after a moment. "It was on the news. That you turned her in. Are you okay?"

Sandy grinned, answering, "Course I am, there ain't nothing I can't handle."

"Oh. Well, what's Karma like?"

Sandy snorted, knowing Parappa had an interest in the hero and hoped to meet him. She hoped he would, just not when he was in danger. "He's very. . ." she trailed off, thinking back to their previous interactions. "he's blunt. Sort of careless," she said, thinking about last night when he nearly ripped his arms off just to defeat Duchess. "Extremely careless. I guess he's nice since he shows up all the time when a villain starts ruining things." She shrugged. Other than that, their interactions were actually pretty slim.

"Cool," Parappa mumbled, getting out of the car after Sandy finished parking. "you think we'll get to see him today?"

"Maybe." She answered, sort of hoping not to. A lot of things could happen at a mall.

If it wasn't for Duchess, it wouldn't feel like Shadow's arms were about to actually fall off. He carried three boxes of shoes, four bags on each arm when he was _supposed _to be guarding Sofia, not acting as her bag holder. "Miss Rossi," he started, swallowing. "wouldn't you like to take a break?"

Sofia looked at him, letting out a pensive hum. "Sure, we can sit at the bench over there." She said, walking ahead of him.

Shadow huffed, putting the bags down and frowning as his arms throbbed. "Miss Rossi—."

"You can call me Sofia," the marmot said, smiling at him.

"Sofia," Shadow continued. "It's my job to protect you, I can't do that if I'm holding bags. I suggest we wrap this up and head back to the hotel."

Sofia crossed her arms over her chest, tossing a strand of light brown hair over her shoulder. "Fine, this mall has such cute things though." She whined, grabbing a few of her bags and standing.

Shadow sighed, reaching down to pick up the rest and pausing. A scream rose to the second floor followed by gunfire.


	4. Chapter 4

Under Fire

A/N: I might go on a small break for mental health reasons. Make sure to leave a review!

"Parappa," Sandy said, crouching down with him as she dug through her purse. "wait here and don't move."

_Great_, she thought making sure her taser worked before shimmying to the closest gunman. She lunged, ripping the gun away from him and electrocuting him. She hid as someone came around the corner, keeping her breathing light and disassembling the gun. She hoped Parappa hadn't gone looking for her and of course this would happen when they were about to leave.

Sandy shook her head, trying to stay calm and hidden as another person walked towards the body.

"What the fuck?" the man mumbled, nudging his accomplice with a foot. He huffed, saying something into a walkie-talkie and seemingly walking away.

She turned, coming face to face with him and putting distance between them. Sandy swallowed, hearing something behind her. She glanced over, hissing as the man grabbed her.

She twisted, moving out of the way before the man dropped and the others spotted her. The spray of gunfire loud and close. She grunted, hitting the floor behind a display case.

"Are you alright?" Karma asked, keeping most of the glass off her as he hovered above her.

Sandy nodded, saying, "There's a group of hostages over there and I need to get back to my—." She stopped, seeing Parappa crouched by the rack of shoes. When did he?

She looked back at Karma as he moved away from her. "So what now, hero?" she asked quietly.

"Well, my suit's bullet proof so I can't transfer a gunshot wound," he answered.

Sandy looked at her taser for a moment before looking back at Karma. It might've been crazy but it could work. "How well can ya carry electricity?" she asked.

"Pretty well, why?"

Sandy took off her purse, straightening out the strap as she did so. "Lift your mask," she said, swallowing as he lifted it high enough to expose his mouth.

"Before we do this, what's your name?" Karma asked, briefly checking to see the gunmen facing away from them.

"Sandy," she answered.

"Well, Sandy, I really owe you one for all your help. Once this month is over, I'll repay my debt." He said, biting down on the strap.

Sandy nodded, putting the taser by his hand and turning it on. She hoped this would work and didn't end up killing him. She watched as the red accents and eyes on his suit glowed yellow instead. He grunted out something that sounded like control as he stood, steam billowing out of his mouth, canines sharp before pulling the mask down again.

Sandy grunted, gripping the back of Parappa's shirt as he held onto her. She frowned, pushing him back to look at him. "I thought I told ya to stay where ya were." She said, ignoring the close by shouts of confusion and screams of pain. Whatever she just helped him with, it was working.

"I got nervous and then I saw Karma teleporting and grabbed onto him." The boy said, looking over as someone came towards them.

Sandy pulled him down, covering him with herself instead. She squeezed her eyes shut, prepared to feel a bullet in her back. But it never came, instead, it was choked gasps and feet scuffling against the floor.

"Keep him covered for me, will you?" Karma asked, electricity crackling around him as Sandy looked, his grip tight around the man's throat. The next thing that followed was a small crack.

Shadow breathed, feeling the suit slide off him as he quickly made his way back to the hotel. He'd be able to do his job properly if it wasn't for all the shit that was happening. And that woman, Sandy, now he owed her twice. Maybe more considering how often she was around whenever things like this happened.

It wasn't like he hadn't killed someone before, but that was different. It was as himself and no one would bat an eye if _Shadow _killed an armed robber but for some reason, it was different for _Karma. _He just hoped it wouldn't be brought up in the news and his client wouldn't get suspicious.

"Where do you keep disappearing off to?" Ah, too late. "Your job is to protect me."

"I know, and I brought you back so you wouldn't be in any more danger than you are now," Shadow said, watching Sofia roll her eyes. "If you think this isn't serious, then I can always quit."

She huffed, putting the dress she bought back into the bag. "Of course this is serious, it's my life. As a matter of fact, I don't think this hotel will work. Anyone could break in here." she said, looking around.

"Fine then, we'll just move to our second location." Shadow shot back, hoping he wouldn't regret it. Even for a job, he had yet to move a client to his house, but it would be the last place anyone would look. He just hoped Rune wouldn't bark at her.


	5. Chapter 5

Visitation

A/N: Please leave a review, thanks for reading.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Karma?" Parappa asked on the way back home.

"I don't really know 'im, he's jus' around whenever there's trouble."

"Whenever _you're _in trouble." Parappa corrected. "how'd he even know about Duchess being at the lab anyway?"

Sandy shrugged, no one was around when she broke in and held Sandy hostage. She was the only person there that night after Static left.

_Maybe Talfyrn's favorite hero has a crush on you. _Which couldn't be possible since she didn't know Karma as a person. Just as a hero who had quite the deck of enemies and seemingly little allies. Come to think of it, the public didn't know much about Karma in general or any other hero that made Talfryn their stomping ground.

Well, except one but she was retired and Sandy was about to pay her a visit.

Sandy knocked once she got to the McCloud residence, rolling the tracker in the palm of her hand. She looked up as the door opened and Marcus let her in.

"Mom's in her room, it's the door on the right." He said, going back into the living room where an aardvark girl and a paused game waited.

Sandy headed upstairs and turned right, knocking before letting herself in.

"As you can see this woman bravely fought off the shooters before Karma arrived to finish the job." The newswoman said as Krystal noticed Sandy.

Krystal muted the television. "Well," she started, patting the empty side of the bed. "at least you aren't hurt."

Sandy nodded, sitting down and handing the tracker to Krystal. "Yeah, but he says he's in my debt n all. After that whole Duchess thing, I feel like bad things are startin' to follow me."

"What Duchess thing?" Krystal asked, turning to look at Sandy.

Sandy huffed, putting her hands in her jacket pocket. "She showed up at the lab one night n held me hostage to get to Karma. I'm more than a hostage." She complained, clenching her fist. "Karma said he'd repay me at the end of the month, can ya believe that?"

Krystal laughed, taking Sandy's hand in her own. "Hearing about these new heroes makes me wish I hadn't quit." She grew quiet for a moment. "But, I'd rather just look after Marcus and make sure he's safe after. . ."

Sandy swallowed as Krystal's loose grip on her hand became firm. After Fox had disappeared and Marcus tried to look for him was what she was going to say but couldn't. They still hadn't found Fox or even knew if he was still alive.

"I'm sure we'll find 'im, Krys. Jus' leave it to me." It was one of the reasons Sandy was working at the lab anyway and why she was so keen on updating the tracker. Although, it had been three years since Fox disappeared, who's to say he's still alive?

"I'm sorry for—."

"It's alright," Sandy interrupted, starting to get up. "I gotta head down to the lab tonight anyway. I wanna help you as best as I can."

"If," Krystal stammered. "If you find him and he's alive, then please. Tell him to come home."

Sandy nodded, looking away as she asked, "If ya find anything on Karma, ya wouldn't mind sendin' it my way right?"

"Oh, we know each other."

"You do?"

Krystal nodded, unmuting the tv. "His boss and I are friends. I can't tell you his civilian name, however. Why'd you want to know?"

"I just, uh, Parappa really likes him so I was wonderin' if I could some facts about him." She already knew Krystal could tell she was lying.

Krystal smiled, folded her hands in her lap. "It's okay if you have a—."

"I don't," Sandy yelled, tapping her foot. "Jus' sick of him showin' up to protect me n not knowin' who he is."

The older woman chuckled, pulling Sandy into a hug as she walked her to the door. "Might as well use that debt to your advantage for a date," Krystal said, grinning.

"Trust me, there won't be one," Sandy mumbled. "I'll see ya later." She continued, heading towards her car and driving to the lab.

Late night shifts brought her some peace anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

Unmasked

A/N: I'm not feeling well mentally, but it's time for my favorite thing in the superhero genre which is an accidental face reveal with the wrong person and y'know a dream sequence. After this chapter, I'm taking a break to prepare for school.

Shadow sighed as he landed on the rooftop. Patrol was pretty dull at night surprisingly. He scaled down, taking his key out as his suit slid off of him and into his pocket. He hoped Sofia was asleep by now as he unlocked the door and entered his home.

The house was quiet as Rune looked at him then settled back down on his cushion. Good. Shadow leaned against the door for a moment before peeking into the guest room and seeing Sofia mumble something in her sleep before sitting up.

"Zio," she started, hunching over. "Non ho soldi, lasciami in pace. Lasciami in pace!" she yelled, stumbling out of bed and running into Shadow.

She had her arms around his neck, her face buried into his chest as she sobbed. Shadow sighed, mumbling, "Come on,"

He led her to his room, clearing the other side of the bed of paper he had been scribbling on. New designs for his suit, how to take down villains faster, why he kept meeting up with Sandy, those sort of things.

Sofia looked at him as he put her into bed. "I. . .thank you, but where are you going to sleep?" she asked, pulling the covers up to her chest.

"On the floor," Shadow replied, leaving for a moment to get an extra blanket. He huffed as Sofia watched him get settled. "Good night, Ms. Rossi." He said, turning away as he heard her shift.

He just hoped the rest of the day was easy.

* * *

_Sandy looked at Karma, saw how close he was. "Karma, what—?"_

"_I want you to see my face and know my name."_

"_Ain't that dangerous?"_

_He pressed into her, body trembling. "Not right now. I'm with you."_

"_Are you hurt?" she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking over him._

"_No, just. . ." he paused, looking away from her for a moment. "can I kiss you?"_

_Sandy looked at him, swallowing. She breathed, slowly lifting his mask until his lips were visible._

"_Off. All the way off." He said, licking his lips. "I want you to see me as more than a hero."_

_Sandy nodded, starting to lift the mask as Karma leaned towards her, his lips brushing against hers._

Sandy breathed in, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling. She checked her phone, sighing as the clock read eight o' one AM and noticing a text from Static if she wanted to hang out today. It was her only day off this week, and after the fiasco at the mall, she was slightly worried about leaving Parappa alone.

She sat up as her door opened and her son poked his head in. "Hey, you," she mumbled, yawning and stretching.

Parappa waved, rocking back on the heels of his feet. She sighed, smiling. "Yes, you can go to the skate park. Call me when ya get there." She called after him as he left the room to get dressed.

Sandy got out of bed, deciding on telling Static about her dream and hoping he wouldn't tease her. Then again, knowing Static, that was inevitable.


	7. Chapter 7

Dating Life

A/N: Ah, school starts in a week so I might not be able to mass post like I wanted. But, on the bright side we're finally getting into the romance part of this and I can't wait to show y'all what I have in store. Enjoy reading and please leave a review.

"First Krystal and now you?" Sandy asked, biting into the sandwich she ordered. She glared at Static as he laughed.

"I'm not the one who had a dream about kissing Karma," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"I didn't, I almost did. Almost took his mask off. . ." she trailed off, blushing lightly as she remembered how close he was to her in her dream. She could feel his muscles through his suit and some part of her was glad she woke up before the dream continued.

"And?" Static goaded, grinning as Sandy huffed.

"And nothin' I woke up. It was just a dream anyway, n. . ."

"How many times has he saved you now?" Static interrupted, popping a celery stick in his mouth and chewing.

Sandy groaned, putting her head in the palm of her hand. "I dunno, but I wish these villains n such would take a break. After what happened at the mall n at work, I'm just. . .worried I guess. 'Bout Parappa more than myself." She said, finishing her sandwich. "What's gonna happen to him if I'm gone or get hurt one a these days?" She definitely didn't want him going back into the system.

"You won't, I mean you can kick anyone's ass and you're on Karma's radar." Static replied. "It's a win-win and if push comes to shove, I'll invite Parappa to stay with me."

Sandy nodded, grateful that in the event something _did _happen to her at least she had one more person besides her family and Krystal to count on. She people-watched for a moment, turning back when Static shoved his phone in her face and a marmot with a black and red furred hedgehog walked into the café.

"It's an Arcanine dressed as Paddington," Static said, smiling at the picture as he took his phone back. Sandy never understood why some people dressed their pets up, but it was a good time passer.

"I'm gonna go throw my stuff away," Sandy said, grabbing her tray as she stood and walked towards the trash bin. She sucked in a breath as she slipped in a wet part of the floor, waiting to feel herself crash against it.

She opened her eyes as she was caught, meeting the man's red eyes as he steadied her.

"Are you alright, Sa—miss?" Shadow asked, clearing his throat.

It felt like something was familiar about him, but she didn't know what. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She replied, helping the employee pick up her trash.

She walked out with Static, rolling her eyes as he grinned and leaned against her.

"Looks like Karma's got some competition," he cooed, laughing as she shoved him away from her.

"No way," she said, quietly noting how the man almost said her name. She shrugged, figuring maybe they had met before or he had just heard her name from someone else. Ever since she had made that serum for the city, it wasn't that hard to hear someone talking about it.

Either way, he knew her name and she had an odd sense of déjà vu when he helped her. Sandy thought about it for a moment, hoping she wasn't just overthinking a stranger helping her.

"So," Static started, nudging her. "when are you gonna see Karma?"

"Ugh, hopefully not soon. I'd rather get bit by a rattlesnake than get saved by him again."

"Oh please, like you don't enjoy the thrill of being in danger Ms. I'm-gonna-jump-from-a-moving-airplane-using-only-a-raft-as-a-cushion."

"That was _one _time," She said, rolling her eyes. "N doing adrenaline stuff is different from almost being cut by diamonds cause Duchess wants to use me as hostage. I don't have control over that."

"Alright, alright, fine. Besides, what's up with that whole debt stuff anyway?"

Sandy shrugged. "Figured he wanted to treat me to somethin' for always bein' in the middle of stuff." Or at least that's what she hoped it was and not some publicity hero stunt. Then again, Karma pretty much kept out of the public eye when he could, so maybe he meant it. "I'll find out at the end of the month anyway." She finally continued, taking her keys out as she headed to her car.

Static kept the conversation going until she dropped him off and went to go pick up Parappa. She'll figure out why Karma felt like he owed her at the end of the month.


	8. Chapter 8

Inquisitive

A/N: Some chapters might be short since I'm in school and I do not have time to write like I used to. Also, we're really getting into the plot now. 😊 Hope you enjoy.

"Where do you go?" Sofia suddenly asked as she walked beside Shadow.

Shadow looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her question.

"When things happen, like at the mall?" she continued, holding onto the strap of her purse.

Shadow cleared his throat, lucky he made it back in time that day before anyone got hurt. "I," he wasn't sure how much he could tell his client, yet he continued, "I wanted to make sure no one was hurt on the second floor and I didn't want you in any more danger than you already are."

Sofia nodded, suddenly grabbing onto his arm. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I gave you, you're a good bodyguard. You even let me into your home."

"It's nothing. You're my client, Ms. Rossi, it's my job to protect you." He replied. "Speaking of which, I need to know what your uncle looks like in case he's here and looking for you."

"Of course, just let me—." She stopped as a crash sounded to their right, dropping her phone back into her purse.

The road was broken, a diamond shooting towards the sky as a car flipped on its side. Fucking great. He couldn't just leave Sofia here nor could he change in front of a bunch of on lookers. He looked at Sofia, opening his mouth to tell her to head inside the café they were in front of and wait for him.

"Don't ya ever get tired of this?"

Shadow looked up to see Sandy standing in front of _her_ flipped car, a few cuts on her body but otherwise still standing. Her son was in her arms, eyes wide and thankfully still breathing.

Duchess stepped forward, a maroon smile on her face. "Oh, you again. I was hoping it'd be someone else," she huffed, checking her nails as if she hadn't almost killed two people, maybe more. "Well, since you're here I'm sure you know how this goes."

Sandy grit her teeth, letting Parappa go long enough for him to get out of the way and disappear into the crowd. "Naw, I ain't sure I do." She said, walking towards the supervillain.

What was she doing?

Duchess grinned, waiting for Sandy to get close enough before diamonds erupted from the ground, surrounding both of them and spreading out to the sidewalk.

Shadow shoved Sofia inside the café, putting her in a booth at the back. "Please just stay here," he said, using his coat to cover her. "I'll be back, I promise."

Whatever Sandy was planning, it'd better stall Duchess long enough for him to make it back. He headed outside, pausing as the diamonds kept spreading. "Shit," he mumbled, moving out of view as his suit slid onto him.

Shadow swallowed as the diamonds suddenly retracted, showing Sandy unharmed and Duchess still grinning.

"Hey, since Karma always saves you, let's see if he gets here in time." Duchess said, her snap seeming to echo as the diamonds from earlier shot out towards Sandy.

Sandy held her arms in front of her, crystals starting to cover her arms.

Shadow ran, hand reaching for her.

"Mom!" Parappa screamed, shoving his way through the crowd.

It felt as if time slowed as the crystals crawled up Sandy's body.

Duchess tsked, a wave of crystals going forth and stabbing Shadow through the chest. "You just watch," Duchess said, finally looking at him. "I have a few questions for you."

"L-let her go," Karma coughed, wheezing as he tried to move. He'd heal from this. He'd heal from this to keep Sandy and everyone else safe.

Duchess sighed, lifting herself towards him. "Oh, Karma, if you play nice, I'll let everyone here go." She said, simply waving a hand.

Karma sucked in a ragged breath as the bystanders became hostages instead, as shop doors crystalized over and Duchess looked him in the eye.

"What do you want?" he panted out. "If it's me, t-then the citizens have nothing to do with this."

Duchess' nose twitched as she leaned towards him. "I want you to give up being a hero, I want your relationship with that woman, and I want to know who you really are. Are you really helping these people because you want to or are you atoning for something?"

No. . .yes. The thing that caused him to end up in the Institute in the first place. The person that said he could change and gave him a chance. The reason he became a hero. He needed to atone for his crimes. He didn't want to be a threat anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

Lifeless

A/N: Since I'm currently in school and taking care of my new puppy, I might not update until early December. Same goes for on Tumblr and my other social media except for Twitter. Anyway, let's get this show on the road!

Shadow groaned as the diamond burrowed deeper into his chest. His eyes unfocused as Sandy slowly crystallized before him. "No," he wheezed, hands trying to reach for her. "Duchess, let her go. Please."

"Mom," Parappa mumbled, running towards her and wrapping his arms around her middle. The crystal covering her legs and hips.

"I-I'm alright, sweetheart just," she paused to take a breath. "Just stay off the street n go find Static."

Duchess clicked her tongue, turning her attention towards Sandy. "My aren't you stubborn?" she said, clenching her fist and making the crystal suddenly envelop Sandy's arms and chest, grinning as she grit her teeth. "Cold, isn't it?"

"Duchess," Karma tried again, voice strained. "I'll tell you everything, just let her go."

"Mm, no. I need to ensure you aren't lying." She said, going back over to him. "As a matter of fact, let's see that face of yours."

Shadow cried out as diamonds pierced his hands and Duchess stepped towards him. He couldn't transfer the pain he felt if he couldn't touch her, he groaned as his hands and chest tried to heal themselves.

He moved his head as Duchess cupped his cheek, looking Sandy in the eyes as the crystal slowly crawled up her neck. His breathing coming in ragged gasps and stutters as Duchess lifted the mask past his lips.

He steeled himself, lurching forward as the mask was lifted higher. His lips met Duchess', hoping _this _would work. He pushed down the vitriol he felt as the kiss deepened, pulling away as Duchess suddenly skittered away from him, screaming and dropping as her body contorted from the phantom pains of Karma's injuries.

"Y-you bastard," she screeched as a few people in the crowd rushed forward to restrain her. She huffed, body going limp from the non-existent but all too real pain.

Karma coughed, leaning against Static as the squirrel caught him. He shook, mumbling, "Is she—Is Sandy alright?"

Parappa ran towards her, frantically tearing away the crystal stuck to Sandy as he sniffled. He grunted as she hugged him, shaking as he hugged her back tightly.

Static adjusted Karma against his side, bearing the after transfers of Shadow's power. "We need to get you to the lab," he said, starting to head towards his car.

"No," Shadow wheezed. "I have to. . .make sure everyone's alright." His hands twitched as they bled, the hole in his chest gaping.

It was a miracle he was still breathing let alone speaking.

"C'mon," Sandy started. "Ya can't protect nobody like that. Cause of you, I'm alright."

He looked at her, thankful Static pulled his mask down so she couldn't see the frown on his face. She was right. He just hoped Sofia stayed in the café until he could come back.


	10. Chapter 10

Revive

A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to update until winter, but I am currently super stressed and this is a great reliever, however, I'm still going to be taking a break from social media next month. Make sure to leave a review.

Sandy tried to calm her breathing as Karma bled in her backseat; she was lucky she had towels in the trunk that Static and Parappa could use to stop the flow of blood from Karma's chest and arms. Nonetheless, it was a downright miracle he could move and speak, let alone breathe no matter how ragged and shallow they currently were.

"Stay here n keep him awake," she said as she quickly parked and ran inside the lab. She quietly swore as she dropped the keys to her office, throwing open the door after she unlocked it.

She opened the drawer beneath her desk and gathered a handful of healing serums before heading back to her car. She never had anyone ingest a serum before, but she hoped it would work as she poured one bottle each on Karma's hands and chest. She held her breath as she lifted Karma's mask all the way off and tilted his head up to help him drink the serum.

It was the same man that caught her before she fell in the café. No wonder why he had almost said her name. Sandy swallowed as Karma's wounds slowly healed, suddenly stopping altogether as the bleeding finally stopped.

His eyes fluttered briefly before squeezing shut as he coughed.

"Oh thank goodness," Sandy mumbled as Static moved Parappa to the front seat and took the blood-soaked towels from him.

She felt nothing but utter relief as Karma's eyes opened and she looked into his eyes, quietly noting the pink around his pupils before it faded into a startling red.

"I. . ." he started, slowly sitting up. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm still alive, ain't I?" Sandy replied, putting a hand on his shoulder as he sat forward. "It's alright, things are bein' handled with Duchess n no one else was hurt thanks to you."

She watched the hero swallow before leaning his head against the seat.

"I, uh," Shadow paused, sighing with a bit of relief before his panic came back full force. "My—I need to get back to Kismet, my client is still in the café. I'm still healing, but just let me—."

"No," Parappa said, looking back at the hero. "Y-you risked your life for my mom and me and basically everyone in Talfryn." The boy's eyes watered. "You should at least heal up before going back to being a civilian."

Shadow huffed, realizing the kid was right. In his current condition, he couldn't protect Ms. Rossi _or _the citizens if another villain or Ms. Rossi's uncle showed up. He looked at Parappa for a moment before turning to look at Sandy and Static. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any for me to pay you back." He said, picking up his mask and looking at it. "My name—my _real _name is Shadow. I've been doing this hero thing since you moved here and all of our encounters were mainly by chance but somehow I ended up looking forward to seeing you." He let out a small chuckle, looking at Sandy, prepared to continue.

"Hang on," Sandy said, holding a hand up. "I just. . .thank you. It might not mean much comin' from me, but thank you, Shadow. Fer savin' me even if I could handle it myself n telling me yer name. I don't think I can pay you back fer all ya done, so how's about we start small by jus' gettin' to know each other more." She continued, scratching her cheek as she glanced away from him, blushing.

Shadow nodded, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat. He wasn't sure what to say until Static sighed and moved Sandy into the backseat with Shadow.

"Alright, alright, enough with the confession," he mumbled. "We won't reveal your identity and if you treat my friend right, I won't have a reason to hunt you down, got it, Karma?"

"Yeah," Shadow replied, hoping he would heal quickly so he could get back to Sofia. He just hoped she stayed where he left her as he slowly drifted off, using Sandy's legs as a pillow as Static continued threatening him.

The end of the month was fast approaching and not only did he have to ensure his client was safe, but he also had to make sure Sofia was still alive.


	11. Chapter 11

After

A/N: Haha, originally I had twelve chapters planned for this, but school's more important so this'll be the last chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading and I'll be back with a Shandy hanahaki disease AU. 😇

Sofia swallowed as she looked at Shadow then at her uncle lying on the ground beside him.

"Are you alright?" Shadow asked, walking towards her.

She nodded, making her way to his side and nudging her uncle with her foot. He didn't move. "Thank you so much," she said, squeezing his hand. "I know I gave you a lot of trouble, but. . .thank you."

Shadow hummed in response, leading her back to his home so she could pack. His job was done, he could go to Sandy without worry that his client would be there and make things awkward.

He watched Sofia board the plane after dropping her off at the airport, the marmot looking back at him with a final smile and wave goodbye.

Sandy squirmed in her seat, knowing that it was _her _idea to meet Shadow for lunch and talk. Get to know each other outside of civilian and superhero. The fact that they were dating is what made her nervous, she was dating a well-known superhero in his civilian form and almost proving Duchess right no matter how much she hated to admit it.

"Did you wait long?"

She looked up at Shadow as he walked up to the table, shaking her head in response. "Naw, yer fine. I was jus' thinkin' 'bout what Duchess said."

Shadow sat down, raising an eyebrow before grinning. "What? About me having a crush on you?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away for a moment. "I do. . .did. Uh, mostly because we kept running into each other and I sort of. . .wanted to know more about you."

Sandy blinked, biting her lip as she giggled. "Ain't that cute, a hero havin' a crush on a girl he keeps savin'."

Their conversation eased up the more they talked. About work, what Shadow does when he isn't Karma, and generally everything. Sandy felt like this could work out between them.


End file.
